Lauder ad
Look at this full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal, published by Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, making Abbas out to be the bad guy in the peace process. Why won’t you talk?
Haaretz says that Lauder is patching up with Netanyahu after criticizing him a year back:
Only a year ago, with his personal dispute with Netanyahu in the background, Lauder severely criticized Netanyahu’s peace policy, urging him to start negotiations “without preconditions.”
Lauder then called on Netanyahu to present a plan that would restore Israel’s international support and would pass the pressure on to the Palestinians, adding that while such a move would amount to committing political suicide for Netanyahu, but it would send the ball back into the Palestinian court.
My takeaway here is that this is more bad news for Obama. The lobby is consolidating itself to take him on. It’s trying to marginalize the liberal Zionists, let alone anyone who’s for human rights. Note that Netanyahu has done nothing to meet Lauder’s earlier demands. So Lauder is folding, for a reason, to fall into line in an election year.
Here’s Lauder’s message, in part:
Yet three years have now gone by. And the Palestinians still decline the offer to begin direct talks with no preconditions. Neither the Israelis, nor the Palestinians, nor any of us who seek peace in the region can afford further delay. President Abbas, both your people and the people of Israel will benefit from an agreement. Both will continue to suffer without one.
Accept the offer to talk, President Abbas. It takes two sides to make peace.
Not sure if the lobby hates Obama that much anymore. He has mostly completely accepted their demands and rolled over like a poodle. Even Bill Kristol said that he “mostly agrees” with Obama(despite releasing a new ad yesterday urging America to bomb Iran now.
(See more here: http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/157810/bomb-iran-says-bill-kristols-eci/)
This is probably more internal politics for both Israel and the wider community inside the lobby. Lauder knows the neocons read the WSJ to a much higher extent than they do the NYT.
Cleaver ploys by the Israelis, Lauder needs to put the “talks” failure firmly in the PA’s preconditions, but they are not preconditions, the Israelis have failed in their obligations under the road map, to stop settlement building, it is Netanyahu’s policy to continue settlement building at breakneck speed, for that he needs time, which the talks provide, so what is there to talk about, maybe Palestinian surrender terms. The US middle east envoy is in the region and plans to break the current stalemate,it has been reported in the Jerusalem Post by a Fatah official [14-06-2012] that after Hale’s visit the PA leadership will make a final decision whether to go ahead with the statehood bid at the UN or return to the negotiating table. And London based AL-Quds Al-Arabi quoted a senior Palestinian official as saying renewed US efforts are designed to stop the PA from pursuing recognition by the UN of a Palestinian state. If Abbas falls for that one, he would deserve Obama’s medal of Honor presented by Netanyahu.
Jewish Israelis want peace and Palestinians want justice. Thats the rub.